The Elf Mage and the Human Princess
by Kammie Celeek
Summary: Rayla wasn't expecting to set out on a journey with her brother and an elven mage to return a stolen dragon egg. She also wasn't expecting her stepfather's once-closest friend to send her closest friends to kill her and her brother. But life is full of unexpected surprises...
1. A Princess and a Mage Walk Into A Castle

She was not a princess. At least, that was what Viren kept telling her. She was impertinent, uncouth, unladylike, and far too much of a tomboy to be a proper princess. And it made her angry when he said things like that. Because it was true to a certain degree; unlike her younger half-brother, she was not royal by birth. She was only a princess because her mother had married King Harrow. She certainly didn't look like one—red hair that never wanted to behave itself, a thick accent that she'd gotten as a child and never gotten rid of, preferring pants to the gowns Opeli tried to get her to wear when she was a child, learning sword-fighting from the guard instead of decorum and etiquette… it was no wonder Viren showed his distaste for her whenever Harrow wasn't in the room.

Tonight, she was practicing with her sword in her room while her little brother slept in his adjacent one with their pet glow-toad, Bait. A storm raged both outside and in her head as she tried to figure out what she was going to do with her life. Despite being fifteen, she'd always wondered what was her place in the world. Ezran would be king, but where did that leave her? Queen Regent if something happened to their stepfather? A general like their Aunt Amaya? Some kind of diplomat?

Thunder cracked and she heard Ezran scream.

"RAYLA!"

"It's all right, Ez," she said. "It's just a storm. Go back ta sleep."

"Come sit with me?" he asked.

"Sure."

She set her sword down on her bed and headed into her little brother's room. He looked at her with frightened ten-year-old eyes. Ever since they'd lost their mother, she'd taken on the difficult task of 'mothering' Ezran—something that became more difficult as the years went by and her brother figured out how to navigate the secret passageways within the castle. She loved him all the same and it was a source of consistent comfort for her to know that he relied on her, at least for now.

"See? I'm here now. There's nothin' ta fear."

"Thanks." She stroked his hair gently until he fell back asleep and her eyes went to the window.

_Storms… perfect time for someone to sneak in…_

* * *

Out in the forest, Callum was feeling nervous.

He'd never felt at home among the Moonshadow elves, and the fact that he was here in Katolis did not help matters. At Runaan's insistence, he'd been brought along on this very important mission—not because he was a great assassin but because he was a mage and could do spells to help conceal them or distract the guards if necessary. It made his stomach twist to think of the fact that he was helping to kill two people—only one of whom had done anything wrong. But he also had to own up to what his own parents had done and redeem himself in the eyes of his people. That meant doing what needed to be done, which in this case was killing King Harrow and his son.

_How old is Prince Ezran?_

"Callum." The young elf looked up to see his adoptive father. "I know you have your reservations about all this."

"Of course I do. Prince Ezran hasn't done anything wrong and we're throwing the kingdom into political turmoil."

"This is our duty to the Dragon Queen—avenging her mate and her child."

Callum sighed.

"If, tonight, you feel that you cannot go through with this, you can wait in the forest."

"No. I need to do this."

Runaan nodded and went to join the others. Callum turned his attention to the bindings on his wrists. A sick feeling welled in his throat at the thought that two people would have to die before these bindings came off. If they didn't, well, the bindings would become tighter and tighter until they caused his hands to fall off. It was the price of not doing your duty and one that he wasn't sure he was ready to pay…

* * *

"You're really bad at this."

Rayla groaned as Claudia sat next to her.

"Bad at what, exactly?"

"Um… princess… stuff?"

"Thanks. I'll be sure ta keep that in mind."

"Seriously, I think you inherited your mom and your aunt's battle prowess, not their grace."

"Your dad tells me as much. I'm incorrigible and unladylike and need ta learn how ta be a real princess before I go too far into _tomboy_ territory."

"I mean, you _do_ beat Soren into the ground when you two spar…"

"Ya sure he's not lettin' me win 'cause I'm the princess?"

"Definitely not." Claudia smirked. "Speaking of Soren, he's waiting for you in the courtyard for your daily session."

"Thanks for lettin' me know. See ya!"

Rayla picked up her twin blades on her way to the courtyard. There, Soren was waiting and checking his hair in the reflection of his sword. Then he noticed her watching him and jumped a little.

"Why are ya preenin' like that?"

"Sorry. I was just making sure my hair looks _absolutely _perfect."

"Uh-huh…" She narrowed her eyes. "Are we gonna fight or is this a beauty contest?"

"If it was a beauty contest, you would win."

Rayla blinked in confusion, then snickered a little before readying her blades. Soren did the same and their sparring match began. It really wasn't much of a contest, seeing as Rayla had a degree of natural skill that was compounded with the years of practice she'd been going through and Soren, despite being a crown guard, had no real interest in fighting her. Before too long, he was on the ground and Rayla had a blade to his throat.

"You win again," Soren admitted.

"Ya aren't even tryin'!"

"C'mon, you're obviously the better fighter. We've known that for such a long time."

She sighed, then helped him back to his feet.

"Princess Rayla?" Opeli called. The redhead turned to face her. "The king wishes to see you and Prince Ezran in the throne room."

"Of course." The princess put away her swords and followed her stepfather's advisor.

* * *

The palace wasn't as well-guarded as Callum would've thought as they snuck in. Runaan had put him in charge of finding Prince Ezran while he and the others went after the more heavily-guarded target, so he was alone in the halls. He was being careful and using all his assassin training to use as he searched for the prince. Suddenly, he heard footsteps and he tried to see who was coming. It was a girl with bright red hair wearing a pair of dark brown leggings and a blue jacket over a red tunic. Her black boots hit the stone floor with a sound that seemed to reverberate through the hall as she glanced around, apparently looking for something.

"Where is he…?" she mumbled, appearing more frustrated. "Ez! I'm sorry! We have ta get goin', now!"

_A witness… and she knows Ezran._

_ She can tell me where he is._

Callum slunk out of the shadows, hood up as he approached her from behind. She suddenly stopped.

"Ez, ya know ya can't sneak up on me—" she started as she turned around. Her violet eyes widened as she saw Callum and she backed away as he pulled his hood back and took out his swords. "You're one of them!"

"You mean an _elf_? Yep." He pointed his sword at her. "I'm looking for someone."

"Did ya try over there?"

Callum glanced in the direction she pointed, only for her to bring down a curtain on top of him. His swords clattered to the ground and she managed to grab one before he got to it. The other was still in his possession as he faced this odd girl.

_Who are you?_

Before they could begin, she started running in the other direction, continuing on the path she'd been taking before he snuck up on her. He gave chase, not caring who this girl was. She was a witness and she had one of his weapons. Runaan would be so disappointed in him for losing it if he didn't get it back.

The girl burst through a door and ran across the top of the wall. Callum finally managed to catch up with her as he raised his blade and brought it down. She used the one she'd stolen to block it with ease.

"You can fight?" he questioned, narrowing his eyes.

"Surprised?" she hissed, before she swung her leg around and swept his out from under him. He landed hard.

"You swept the leg!"

"And Soren tells me it's not a thing in sword-fightin'."

Callum leapt back to his feet. He was more intrigued by this girl than anything now as she ran through the door on the other side and he still managed to keep up with her as she ran into a room that clearly belonged to a dark mage. She tripped on a rug in the room and the sword she'd stolen clattered out of her reach as she turned over to face him. Her eyes were narrowed in defiance as he picked up his blades and pointed one at her.

"Now, you're going to tell me what I want to know."

"Depends. What is it ya want ta know?"

"I don't want to kill you. There's only two targets tonight." Her eyes widened.

"T-two…?"

"I'm here for King Harrow. And his son, Prince Ezran."

"No! Ya won't touch him!" Anger was flashing in her eyes now. "He hasn't done anythin' wrong!"

"So you _do _know where he is. Tell me and I'll spare your life."

"Go ta hell! I'll die before I let ya harm one hair on his head! He's innocent and good and kind! Why do ya want ta kill him?!"

"Why did humans like _you_ kill the Dragon King and destroy his only heir?" She gasped, seemingly realizing what this was about. Then her face fell as if she were remembering something.

"This is never goin' ta end, is it? You're gonna kill me and then him, and then someone'll kill ya ta get revenge."

"Then it's a cycle." What was she trying to do? "And I can't end it, not tonight."

_"Rayla!"_

The voice came out of nowhere. The girl looked over at a particularly ugly painting on the wall.

_"Psst! Rayla!"_

"Kinda busy!" she called.

_"Because you're with a guy?"_

"Are you… talking to the painting?"

"No!" There was panic on her face as he grabbed the edge of the frame and pulled to reveal a hidden door and a young boy sitting there with a blue-and-yellow toad and some kind of pastry. The boy looked sheepish at being caught.

"Jelly tart?" he offered.

"Go away!" the girl hissed. Callum turned his attention back to her.

"Now, tell me—"

"Hey!" The boy looked excited. "Say hello to my friend!"

He held up the toad and it flashed brightly. When Callum got his sight back, the girl and boy were both gone. If he had to guess, they'd fled through the passageway. His one link to Prince Ezran had escaped. Callum climbed through the doorway and started to run after the two.

* * *

Part of Rayla had never trusted Viren. He was slippery and charming and it had never rubbed her the right way. It had been that way since she'd met him as a toddler. She also didn't like dark magic, so _that_ part of her not liking him was self-explanatory. He was the reason her mother had lost her life. He was the reason the Dragon King had died. He had told Harrow the egg was destroyed when that wasn't true. Not to mention he treated her like she was an annoying pest that he needed to sweep out of his way unless Harrow, Ezran, or Soren was in the room. Then he treated her with all the reverence and respect that befit her position as second in line for the throne of Katolis.

Now, however, she knew her mistrust hadn't been misplaced. Viren had used his magic to steal her voice and keep her from warning her stepfather. And as the rest of Callum's party began to descend, her voice was knocked from Viren's hand and returned to her as she tried to figure out the best weapon to grab and defend herself with her back against the king's door. Before she could, Soren jumped between her and an elf that was aiming straight for her, knocking the woman back and looking over his shoulder at Rayla.

"Rayla, go! Run!"

_Ezran. The egg. Callum._

_ We need to return the egg._

She fled down the stairs, retrieving her swords from where she'd stashed them earlier that day and grabbing Ezran as she ran by in the courtyard. Callum didn't ask any questions as they kept running. When they were a good distance away from the castle, they stopped to take a breath and Rayla glanced up at the sky. As she did, some kind of shadow bird passed overhead. That was weird enough, but then she noticed one of the ribbons around Callum's wrist turn blood-red and fall off. He tried to hide it. She knew, though, that it wasn't good. One still remained. He and the others had two targets that night, she remembered. Two ribbons had been around his wrists.

_Dad's dead. Isn't he?_

"We'd better get moving," Callum said, breaking the silence. "I don't want to be on the receiving end of a human angry mob for supposedly kidnapping the royal siblings. Because that's what this is going to look like."

"Yeah, I agree," Rayla stated, nodding. "The faster we get ta Xadia, the better."

She clutched the locket around her neck—the one thing she had left of her mother. It contained a picture of the royal family that had been done shortly after Harrow became king and a portrait of her mother that had been done before her death. It was Rayla's most prized possession and she held onto it so she could always remember her mother's face.

"Are you ready?" she asked, turning to Ezran. The boy nodded.

"Let's go."

They started walking away and Rayla made sure she wasn't seen as she picked up the blood-red ribbon. She put it in her pocket. One day, she'd ask Callum what it was, but that day was not today.

In the kingdom, the news that Princess Rayla and Prince Ezran were dead reached Viren's ears. He smiled, knowing that the two biggest threats to him taking power were gone and he wouldn't have to deal with that again. He didn't miss Claudia's anguished expression when the news arrived, nor Soren punching a wall in rage and grief. That didn't matter, though. All that mattered was that _he_ would rule Katolis and the throne would eventually pass to his son… or his daughter, should something unfortunate happen to Soren…

* * *

**Okay, I have no idea what I'm doing, so this story might not get updated as often as you might like. As you can probably tell, Callum and Rayla have swapped positions but not personalities. Rayla is still our badass swordswoman and Callum is still our dorky mage. Certain things will stay the same within the story and others will change, such as Soren having a crush on Rayla.**

**So long and thanks for all the fish!**


	2. Conflicted Views

**Got a ton of support after the first chapter. That was my signal to keep going.**

* * *

Callum was awake all night while he kept watch.

Every now and then, he would glance over at Rayla and Ezran, both of whom were fast asleep with Bait on Ezran's lap. The younger boy was snuggled into the girl's side and Callum couldn't help but wonder who the girl was to the prince. She wasn't much older than him but she possibly could have been some kind of caretaker. Nonetheless the two were close, that much was obvious, and Callum took his sketchbook out of his bag. The bag was the only thing he'd managed to grab on their way out of the castle when they'd stopped by where the assassin's had been camped and he felt a need to draw. So he drew Rayla and Ezran, taking note of the tiny braid over Rayla's right ear and the freckles that dotted the face of the young king.

_Right. He's the king now because we killed the old one._

A lump formed in Callum's throat. Guilt had been flooding him since the night before when his blood ribbon had fallen off. Rayla and Ezran hadn't noticed, thankfully, but the one on his left wrist remained. Mocking him for his failure to kill a ten-year-old boy. Frustrated, Callum set down his charcoal pencil to try and snap off the ribbon. Nothing he tried would break it and that was when he noticed Bait's judgmental look. He narrowed his eyes at the glow-toad.

"Mind your own business."

"Who are ya talkin' ta?" yawned Rayla, sitting up. Her movement woke up Ezran, who groaned at being awakened.

"Your frog."

"_Glow-toad_," Ezran corrected, stretching. "Bait's a glow-toad."

"Whatever. He's judgmental."

"Yeah, he is," agreed Rayla. "Aren't ya, Bait?"

Bait let out a growling croak in response, turning a nice shade of red. Rayla smiled up at Callum. As she knelt to pick up her bag, Callum noticed a glimmer of gold around her neck—some kind of necklace. It was the most feminine thing that she wore and didn't seem to mesh well with her overall image. He chose not to comment on it, though, and instead snapped his sketchbook shut. Rayla had an odd look on her face as she dug into her bag and then pulled out an orb.

"Ooh. Forgot I took this from Claudia." She held it up to him and he felt his eyes widen with excitement as he took it from her.

"A Primal stone?!"

"Yeah…?"

"Awesome! These are super rare! And it's a _Sky_ Primal stone, to boot!" He looked at her pleadingly. "Can I hold onto it? Please?!"

"Sure. I can't use it, so what's the point in me holdin' onto it?"

"Yes!" He put it in his bag. "Now I can do Sky magic!"

"I thought…"

"What? Just because I'm a mage doesn't mean I can do _all_ magic. I'm a Moonshadow elf, which means I need a Primal stone for any other kind."

"And those are…?" He rolled his eyes a little and took out his sketchbook again, drawing the six symbols.

"Sun, Moon, Stars, Ocean, Earth, and…"

"Sky?"

"Right." He nodded and she looked at his drawing.

"Ya know, I think I've seen those before."

"Really? Where?"

"On this cube-thingy at the Banther Lodge. It was in the game room. Could be some kind of magical object, but I have no idea."

"Well, then… we'll stop by and get it."

"Ya sure? It might be crawlin' with humans since that's where they were sendin' us."

"I'm always eager to find new magic stuff. There's no way we can avoid it now that you've brought it up. Plus, we can load up on supplies there. Where is it?"

"It's on the way to the border. So it's on our way, anyway…"

"Great! Let's get moving!"

* * *

Callum was such a dork. That was the only way to describe him. He was excited over little things like a cube that she'd always thought was a piece to a game they'd lost years ago and her stepfather had just forgotten to throw it away. Whatever. She didn't mind stopping at the Banther Lodge for provisions. Even if it might be crawling with humans who might try and kill her new Moonshadow acquaintance on sight. Part of her wondered if she could just explain what was going on, but more than likely they'd attack Callum before she got a chance.

And her fears were confirmed moments after Callum slipped inside the Lodge, when she saw her aunt coming up with a contingent of soldiers. She and Ezran ran to head her off and distract her so Callum could search without being caught. Next thing she knew, she and Ezran were sitting before the giant stone fireplace while the soldiers fanned out to make sure there weren't any intruders.

"We should tell Aunt Amaya what's going on," Ezran insisted.

"Oh, yeah. Let's tell our aunt who fights elves away from our border about our new elf friend and that we're carryin' the egg of the most powerful creature in the world ta bring it home ta its mum. That'll go over _great_."

"But _Rayla_, if we explain beforehand, I'm sure she'll understand."

"Not a chance. We need ta go. As soon as possible."

Before too much longer, Amaya told them that they'd found a Moonshadow elf hiding upstairs and that he'd been incapacitated. Ezran had a brilliant idea to get Callum out which involved lowering Bait on a dumbwaiter and then running outside… which surprisingly worked. Callum ran into them outside, where the three found themselves surrounded. An arrow was loosed at Callum and Rayla's protective instincts kicked in, making her push him out of the way. As a result, the arrow pierced her braid and sliced it off her head as it flew by. Luckily she wasn't hurt.

"Please, Aunt Amaya!" pleaded Ezran. "Rayla, tell her what's going on!"

Rayla began signing rapidly, Callum watching her hands with interest and taking notes in his head. She was backing away at the same time. Amaya frowned and nodded in agreement, signing her response and her soldiers backed off. Ezran let out a sigh of relief.

"What'd she say?" Callum whispered to Ezran.

"She said that you're not a threat to us and that you've kept us safe on our journey here. Aunt Amaya said that we can't leave but she won't attack you."

"Well, we can't stay…"

Rayla rubbed the knuckle of her right index finger against her heart while the rest was in a fist.

_Sorry._

Quickly, she grabbed Callum and Ezran and began booking it for the bridge. Unfortunately, more soldiers were coming across and there was only one way left to go—a small boat that was moored nearby. She leapt down onto it with the two boys in tow. Catching on, Callum cut the ropes and the boat started downriver. He sighed in relief, glad to be on a nice soothing boat ride instead of running once they were well away from the lodge.

That was also when he noticed Rayla was hunched over.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked Ezran.

"She hates water," Ezran replied, grimacing. "Dad told me that when he first met Mom, Rayla refused to even take baths because she hated water so much."

"Wait, I'm sorry. How are you two connected?"

"Me and Rayla have the same mother. But my dad is her stepdad."

"Oh, so half-siblings."

"I'm gonna—urk—half _you_ in a second if ya don't shut up!" Rayla said, her face having turned incredibly pale.

Callum reached into his jacket and pulled out the cube he'd retrieved. The Moon symbol on the side lit up in his hands. It didn't clear up what it was at all, but it looked nice. That was enough for now.

"Rayla, your hair…" Ezran touched where the arrow had taken her braid.

"It's just hair, Ez. It'll grow back." She still looked ill, so Callum took a deep breath and picked her up under her arms. "The _hell_ do ya think—"

He'd shifted her to the middle of the boat—a more stable and comfortable spot. She blinked, then her cheeks were tinged with pink. Callum remembered that human girls were very particular about being touched and he might have just been incredibly rude by doing what he'd done.

"S-sorry!" He put his hands up defensively.

"No, it's fine. Thank you." She stared at the water accusingly and Ezran pulled Bait out of it.

"Bait! You know you're not supposed to get in the water!" he scolded.

"Bait should be as afraid of the water as I am," Rayla told Callum. "Ya know why he's named 'Bait'?"

"Why?"

"Glow-toads are used for deep-sea fishin' ta lure big catches. They're apparently _delicious_." She looked up at him with her violet eyes. "That's my stepdad's sense of humor for ya!"

"Shush!" Ezran put a finger to his lips. "Rayla, he doesn't know _how_ delicious he is! Don't let him know!"

Bait looked up at them with an inquiring look.

"And that's how the noodle got its name!"

Rayla looked nauseous again and hunched over the side of the boat. Ezran started patting his older sister on the back comfortingly in a way that implied he'd done this many many times before. She was a far cry from the girl who had managed to best a Moonshadow assassin the night before with little effort on her part. But the boat was the fastest way to gain distance on anyone who might be pursuing them and the need for swiftness in their journey far outweighed Rayla's need for comfort for now.

* * *

Soren had never felt a greater rush of relief in his life than when General Amaya rode up with the news that Rayla and Ezran were alive. That relief was replaced with anger when he found out that they were in the company of a Moonshadow elf who'd apparently gotten them out of the castle the night of the assassination. According to Claudia, it was a male elf who'd attacked her and tricked the royal siblings into going with him. The idea of Rayla being with a person like that made Soren's blood boil and he wanted nothing more than to bring that elf down.

His chance came when his father told him that he, along with Claudia, would retrieve the prince and princess. Unfortunately, Viren had secondary instructions for his son—that he was to return with the news that the royal siblings had died. And if they were still alive, there was to be an… unfortunate and _deadly_ accident.

Now, Soren had come to terms long ago that he carried a torch for the step-princess. She was so strong and badass and beautiful that he couldn't _not_ fall for her. So the idea of causing her pain—any kind of pain—sat ill with him, especially since he knew she cared very deeply for her remaining family. In fact, he wasn't even sure if she was aware that the king was dead. Would he be able to tell her and deal with her grief, or would he do something that would make it worse?

"What's on your mind?"

He glanced up from the jelly tarts he was eating to see Claudia.

"Just… thinking about the mission. How… how are we going to tell Ezran and Rayla that the king's dead?"

"Gently, of course. I'm sure you can do that for Rayla, right?"

"Y-yeah, of course, it's just… what if something happens to them out there, with that _elf_?" He spat the word with as much venom as he could muster. "What if he takes advantage of them and—"

"Calm down. Look, I know you care about Rayla a lot, but we need to focus on getting them to come back with us and away from the dangerous Moonshadow elf. Plus she can take care of herself. If he tried anything, she'd make him regret it in a second. You know how protective she is of Ezran, too."

"Right."

A lump formed in his throat. It had been _years_ since he'd seen Rayla cry but he might be the one to make it happen again. The last time had been after her mother's death when they were kids. Would she cry again when he told her about King Harrow? Or if something happened to Ezran? Who was he kidding—of course she'd cry if something happened to her beloved little brother! And considering Harrow's fate and the fact that General Amaya was returning to the Breach, Ezran was the only family that Rayla had left in the world and she'd be destroyed if she lost him.

Part of Soren wanted to abandon the mission entirely. But he couldn't—not when their father had specifically asked him to do this. He hoped Rayla would understand his desire to make his father proud, but more than likely she'd first be shocked and upset before she started screaming and berating him for valuing his father's approval over human life. Maybe there was a way to avoid anger on both sides if he played his cards right—like if Ezran did something stupid and it was his own fault and Soren just wasn't able to stop him.

He didn't even want to _think_ about getting rid of Rayla…

"Soren. Hey, Sor-Bear!"

Claudia snapped her fingers in his face, making him jump in surprise.

"You're just staring off into space. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Positive. Just… hoping that they're okay when we find them. Because if that _elf_ has harmed one hair on either of their heads—"

"We'll _both_ make him regret it because Rayla is my best friend and Ezran is our king."

_Right. For now, at least…_

"Then, should we get going?"

"Yes. Let's."

* * *

**Not much going on this chapter but this is another story where I wasn't expecting much support. I got a ton of reviews on the first chapter across both platforms I publish on (AO3 and Fanfiction), which caught me off-guard. So, starting next chapter, I will be replying to reviews on Fanfiction in the beginning author's notes. If you have a question, ask it in the comments or send me something on Tumblr. I guarantee I will answer any questions you have… unless it involves spoilers.**

** That being said, let me know what you all think about this 'Soren having a crush on Rayla' angle. I'm still not sure about it but I think it's good for now.**

** So long and thanks for all the fish!**


End file.
